1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to sofa-bed assemblies, and more particularly to such assemblies having particular versatility for use where available space is limited, such as in vehicles, for example.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sofa-beds of various construction have been used for many years in mobile homes, recreational vehicles and other environments. Early examples enabled conversion of a unit between a seat configuration such as a sofa, and a flat configuration such as a bed. Typically, when in a seat configuration, they faced in one direction. Some have provided for easy access to storage space below the unit. An example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,522 issued to me on Oct. 4, 1998.
More recently, an assembly has been developed which enables the conversion of a unit between a configuration of a seat facing in one direction, to a bed, to a seat facing in the opposite direction, with ability to access storage space beneath the assembly. Such arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,805 issued to me and Larry E. Gray on Jul. 4, 2000. While that assembly is very effective for its intended purpose, operation of it involves use of manually operated knobs or tabs, and associated cabling, to change configurations. It is an object of my present invention to provide similar versatility but without the use of cabling and associated manipulators.
One aspect of the present invention is a method of converting a seating device from a seat with a forward facing backrest, to a bed and back to a seat by simply manually raising and moving the seat, without manual attention to any other features of the seating assembly and without knobs and cabling or the like. Another aspect of the invention is reconfiguring the seat assembly from a bed configuration to a rearward-facing backrest, and doing so without handling any portion of the assembly except for the seat, and without any cables or knobs or the like. A still further aspect of the invention is to enable access to storage space under the seat by simply raising the front edge of the seat and permitting it to latch in a storage access position, following which return to original position is again accomplished by simply manipulating the seat itself.
A further aspect of the invention is a hinge assembly incorporating a seat carrier, a backrest carrier, a hinge carrier intermediate the seat and backrest carriers with pivotal connections to each, in combination with a latching arm on one of the carriers and a stop on the other carrier, and a linkage, the combination enabling the latching arm and stop to cooperate for enabling the locking of components in certain relationships and intentionally releasing the locking feature, all by moving the seat brackets in various ways.